Forgiveness
by sunraysandmoonlight
Summary: When everything else is gone from your life, when there is no more hope for the future, what do you have left? What will you do?
1. Chapter 1

Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter or any of the other characters.

He was running. The sharp pains were shooting through his tired limbs and the branches and leaves of the dark forest tore at his face, his hands and his robe. He had to keep running. His ragged breathing and the rushing of the cold wind were the sounds filling his ears. His lungs were burning from lack of oxygen but there was no time to stop to breathe. He had to keep running. Suddenly his foot was caught by a tree root that he did not see, and his body's momentum was halted as he fell to the ground with a sickening thud. He tried to untangle himself, but he froze on the spot as soon as he saw the glimmering light of his pursuers' wands and torches. He scrambled on his now injured foot and hid himself inside the empty fallen log closest to the oak tree that prevented his escape in the first place. As the lights and sounds of the chase came closer, he prayed to Merlin that they would not look inside the log; that they would just go away. He held his breath and covered his hair to prevent them from discovering his hiding place.

"Dolohov, do you see anything?" one of the hooded figures illuminated the clearing with his torch.

"No, but we must keep looking. He could not have gone too far." Dolohov replied with urgency. "The Dark Lord will not accept failure."

"My nephew is not as intelligent as he thinks he is, we will find him. Without a wand, there is nothing he can do." Rodolphus Lestrange reassured the other Death Eater.

Dolohov proceeded to walk past the dark log. The sound of his footsteps was coming closer. Draco tried to make himself, curl up into the smallest clump possible.

"Dolohov, I think the best way to get our pretty bird to come out is to smoke him out." Rodolphus Lestrange lowered his torch to the ground as Dolohov turned around to look at him, a diabolical smile forming on his face.

"That is the best idea I have heard from you yet. Even if we don't capture him he will not survive the inferno." Dolohov laughed cruelly at their prey's predicament. "What are you waiting for, light the fire!" He yelled.

Rodolphus Lestrange scoffed at the command. He cried "INCENDIO" as the pile of dry leaves in the clearing started on fire, its tongues caressing the forest floor. At first they both stared into the fire, mesmerised. The red, white and orange flames danced across the ground to start devouring the nearby oak tree.

"Lestrange, the rest of the forest can't wait" said an irritated Dolohov "Let's go!" Both the Death Eaters moved away from the clearing as the echo of their cries of "INCENDIO" moved in two different directions.

Now our victim was left alone contemplating how to not burn alive. If he tried to run they would surely see him and kill him on the spot. If he stayed where he was he would die either from smoke inhalation or worse, by being engulfed by fire. They were the skilled and dreaded hunters and he was their ultimate goal, their prey. They would not stop until his body was cold and dead at their feet.

"NO!" he said to himself. He had to try; he had to try to run. There were only a few pursuers, maybe he could break through, without them noticing him. He got up from his hiding place and choked on the smoke surrounding the small clearing. If only he had a wand, he would be gone from here within seconds. "Think, Malfoy, think!" he mentally glowered the command to himself. The fire around him spread and he could feel the blistering heat, forcing his thoughts to the present. He ripped part of his robe away and wrapped it around his face, to stop breathing in smoke. Still the light and the heat from the fire were not going to help him get away.

He started limping away from the clearing. "Must get away! Must get away!" he chanted under his breath. He noticed that the roar of the fire around him was growing and deafening in his ears. He tried running, but his foot would not allow it. Panicking, he kept on. The flames of the fire licked their way up old and dark trees, through the dried moss and jumped from branch to branch. The smoke alone prevented his breathing, but it hid him from prying eyes. He imagined that the fire was alive and was going to swallow him whole. He kept jogging through the burning forest. Over the roar of the fire, he heard a splintering crack as a burning tree fell over across his path, narrowly missing his head. He was rooted to the spot and began to hyperventilate. "MUST GET AWAY! MUST GET AWAY!" were the only thoughts filling his mind. He started up from shock and kept jogging. Sweat drenched his soiled, torn and now burnt robes. He did not even notice as the trees started to thin out around him. He was abruptly stopped by the fact that the ground underneath his feet turned to rock and he was standing on top of a small cliff, beneath which he saw a river winding its course through the forest. He again thought to himself "if only I had a wand". But he had no time to think. He heard shouts behind his back and quickly turned around crouching to the ground.

"Malfoy! Come out and play!" Lestrange's gruff voice announced his presence. If he is here, the other one is not far behind. Draco had to think fast, hiding will not help this time. He looked below him to the river.

"Lestrange! I think I see footprints here leading north!" Dolohov's voice was heard coming closer. There was no more time.

Draco turned around and jumped down, cursing as he landed on his already twisted ankle. He scrambled down the cliff and ran to the river. As soon as he got closer, he understood that he underestimated the depth and the current. But he had to keep going; there was no turning back now. He waded into the water, the shock of the cold water freezing his body in place. "MUST GET AWAY!" He screamed inside his head, as he threw himself into the current. He tried to struggle above the water, but his soaked robes were too heavy and they dragged him down to the dark depths of the river. He fought to stay on top of the water, but he realized that his trashing was useless. At least he was not going to be roasted by the forest inferno, he thought to himself. As his consciousness started to slip into blackness, because of the fatigue, because his clothes were too heavy, because he had no more will left to live, his body crashed into solid rock. He fought to open his heavy eyelids and saw that he was caught on a rock, and that the other shore of the river was not far. "If only I had a wand" the thought again made itself aware in his head. He struggled to find a foothold to climb the rock, slipping and sliding until finally he was able to drag himself to the top. He panted, shivered and collapsed against the cold surface. The blackness behind his eyelids was like a welcome cocoon ready to envelop him if only he was to close his eyes, but he fought it.

He gathered the scraps of his strength and leaped from the rock to the more shallow water. He hit the rocks on the bottom of the river, but he was safe from drowning, since he could stand up on the river floor. He slowly waded out of the river. As soon as he was out of the river, his legs gave way to gravity and he buckled to the ground. The darkness was again upon him, black, empty, merciless, but he shook his head to try to stave off the weariness and started to crawl away from the edge of the river into the forest. He crawled on his hands and knees, because standing upright was not an option. He crawled with desperation to find a safe place, knowing that there was no place safe from Him. He crawled until he reached the dense cover of the foliage. He leaned his tired and battered body against the trunk of the nearest tree and gathered his knees to himself. His wet robes did nothing to warm his body and he started to remove the sagging weight of his clothing. Finally freed from the weight he was able to stand up and limp his way further into the forest. He struggled to keep his eyes open and struggled to take each step, he knew that if he stopped that he would not live to see the next day. His Slytherin survival instincts and his stubbornness were the only things pushing him forward.

He knew that the Malfoy manor was not far away from small Muggle villages and farms, but he could not risk going into a highly populated area, since he would be recognized and killed on sight by the Death Eaters situated in the nearby towns. "If only I had a wand" he thought to himself again, wallowing in his personal misery. After what seemed like an eternity, when he was just about to give up, to lie down and die on the cold, hard soil, his eyes detected a flickering of electric lights coming from a solitary house, close to the edge of the forest. His heart leaped into his throat, and with renewed vigour he hurriedly limped to the house. Only, he could not keep up his effort for long, with every stride, his energy faded, with every step towards his goal, his strength left his limbs. He finally collapsed a few meters away from the doorstep of the house. Finally, he let the exhaustion crash over him, finally he allowed himself to be swallowed up by the complete and utter darkness. As he closed his clear grey eyes, the last thought that flashed through his muddled brain was that he deserved this. After years of prejudice, and hatred that he inflicted on everyone around him, he found a fitting end: being so close to salvation, he was going to die.

What Draco Malfoy did not realize as he lost the last remnants of his consciousness, was that the light coming from the open door was illuminating his body and a man was running towards him from the house.


	2. Chapter 2

To all of you who decided to give this story a try: Thank you so much! This is my first attempt at story writing, so I would appreciate any thoughts or comments or advice you can give me. If you like what you are reading please let me know, if not, let me know what you think would work better. Thanks again.

Disclaimer: I do not own any Harry Potter characters.

Chapter 2: Reality

The light slowly crept to his face, caressing its sharp features into view, warming up his pale grey skin. It treacherously beamed onto his closed eyelids, making everything red. He furrowed his brow without opening his eyes, thinking "Light? Why can I feel light? Is this what happens when you are dead?"

He felt himself surrounded by warm enveloping material. "Blankets?" he asked himself. Then through the grey haze of his mind, he heard a child humming a song. Now, he had to try opening his eyes. Slowly he struggled with the weight of his eyelids, finally allowing the bright light into his soul. He scrunched his face, trying to get accustomed to the sunlight. Hearing the intake of breath indicating surprise and bounding steps, he again tried to focus his eyes in front of him. Standing there was a young girl, maybe 6 years old, with two brown pigtails and a pin striped shirt.

"Hello?" she whispered peering into his face. "Did you wake up?" He closed his eyes to make sure what he was seeing was not a dream. "Wake up, mister." She shook his arm gently. At this point, he opened his eyes again and looked at her.

"You are not sleeping. Good. My father told me to tell him when you wake up." She turned away and started running away from the bed he was laying on. He had to try to stop her. He tested out his parched throat: "Wait!" She stopped and turned around to look at him with a questioning glance. He visibly swallowed to be able to speak again: "Where am I?"

She came closer and stood by his bed, "You are at my father's house. My dad brought you home two days ago and you have been sleeping on this bed ever since."

His eyes opened wide at her inconspicuous words. He thought: "Two whole days. I was unconscious two whole days! Two whole days lost. Two days that may cost me my life. They must by now know that I survived and are looking for me. I have to leave here as soon as possible." While he was lost in his panic, the girl silently watched the dark thoughts swirl over his face. She slowly turned away and made for the door again, but he called her back.

"Hey, what's your name?" he asked. She looked at him, as if judging if he was even worth the answer, deciding that she might as well say something.

"My name is Annie. But I have to go and tell my father that you are awake. He said to tell him as soon as you woke up." She turned quickly and ran out of the door. Draco tried to raise his back from the bed, feeling only that his arms could not even hold his weight, but he had to try. He had to leave soon. "What a strange girl" he thought to himself. "Aren't girls supposed to be about playing with dolls and giggling at that age? But she is so serious. Funny, how that reminds me of me..." He stopped his train of thought before it went into the dark and forbidden territory of his childhood. "She is not like me. She is a Muggle!" he tried to make that sound disdainful in his head, but his mind simply did not obey his command. He shook his head, his translucent hair falling into his eyes. "If her father is coming to see me, he will ask what I am doing here." He suddenly realized his dilemma. He had to come up with a story, why he would be wandering around at night, exhausted, wet, and losing consciousness at someone's doorstep. Even though Draco Malfoy was not in school anymore, he was still a Slytherin and he was always a good liar.

Before he could acquaint himself with his surroundings, a dark haired man with greying temples opened the door to the room, startling Draco from his musings.

"My daughter said you were awake. You must be hungry. Why don't you come into the kitchen and you can have something to eat?" he asked, looking at Draco with hooded eyes.

"Where are my clothes?" Draco returned the stare to the stranger standing in front of him. "He does not trust me." He thought to himself." I guess I would not either."

"They were too ruined to keep." The man walked into the room and went to the simple brown dresser standing next to the window. He was medium build, late thirties, stocky. Just the kind of Muggles Draco would never associate with.

"Here" after rummaging through the drawers, the man pulled out a green flannel shirt, old faded blue jeans and woollen socks and threw them to Draco on the bed. "Come and join us when you are ready." The man was just about to leave the room, when he turned around and looked at Draco again. "What is your name?" Draco did not expect this question at the moment and he hesitated. Not something, good liars are supposed to do. He looked down at the clothes and muttered "My name is Damian. Damian Malkin." He looked up at the man with what he hoped to be sincerity and truth in his eyes, yet still the man gazed back at him with suspicion.

"Alright, Damian. Get dressed, and we will get you fed." The man turned around and walked to the door. As he reached the door handle, he again turned around and looked at Draco. "My name is John Dwight." Then he left Draco to his own devices and thoughts about his mysterious saviour and his family.

As Draco looked down at the clothes left to him, he could not help but be disgusted. He, the Draco Malfoy, had to take second hand rags from a Muggle! If Potter knew what he was doing, he would laugh his head right off. Draco gritted his teeth at the fleeting thought of the Boy-Who-Lived. Maybe, now Draco could join the same rank and be the Next-Boy-Who-Lived to escape the Dark Lord's wrath. Or maybe it's too early to say. Who was Draco kidding anyway, no one survived His wrath. He smiled ruefully at himself and his ridiculous thoughts. "If I want to be the Next-Boy-Who-Lived, I better get dressed and get myself as far from here as I can."

With determination and stubbornness, Draco Malfoy threw away the blankets from the bed and stood up on his feet. He felt triumphant as if the first wizard to ever step foot inside Hogwarts, but his happiness did not last long as his legs buckled and he was forced to sit down. With much grumbling and a lot of effort, he finally dressed himself, thankful that he still retained his underwear and shoes. There was just no possible way that he would borrow either one of those items of clothing from anyone.

He slowly approached the door, the doorway from his sanctuary. He hesitated as his fingers grasped the cold metal door handle. But he knew he would have to face his rescuer sooner or later and at this point sooner was better because then he could leave and forget this place. He opened the door slightly and peered into another small room, with a simple wooden table, four chairs, a chesterfield, and a kitchen. None of these things screamed expensive, rich, antique, gilded, pureblood, but then maybe none of these qualities were what he was looking for, what he needed at the moment. The two occupants of the room brought up their gazes away from the food and onto the intruder. Draco hesitated again, looking down at the floor.

"Damian, come join us." John Dwight had said and he motioned to the chair opposite him at the table. Draco sat down and looked at his feet again, unwilling to say or initiate anything. "Annie, would you please bring our guest a generous helping of Shepherd's pie?" The girl obediently and quietly stood up to follow her father's request. Soon after, Draco noticed a plate standing in front of his nose, steam and delicious smells coming from the inside of the pie. Any of his worries and thoughts, were quickly drowned in the onslaught of hunger than seized his mind. "Annie, don't forget about a cup of tea." John Dwight looked at his "guest", whose shaking hands picked up a fork and started to crush the pie piece apart. Next, Draco had a warm cup of tea standing on his left side.

"Annie, would you please go and play outside for a while? I will call you to come back. Don't stray too far from the house." John Dwight looked pointedly at his daughter, who did not need any more hints from her father that she was to leave. "Yes, father." She muttered quietly and left the kitchen, taking a book with her on her way out.

John Dwight turned his brown, penetrating eyes onto Draco and sized him up. "Damian, or whatever your name is. I am not a giant oaf, that you take me for. I was down at the village yesterday and there were strange men dressed in black cloaks asking about a boy your age, with blond hair, and grey eyes. Now, would you know anything about that?"

Draco looked up at the man, astounded that this Muggle did not sit around and avoid the plague but went right after the snake in their midst, so to speak. He barely gulped down the pie that he was contemplating in his mouth, when the man spoke and now he gave himself time to think through his answer.

"Those men are evil. They are kidnappers, thieves, Murderers!" Draco started to become agitated and threw himself away from the table. "They abducted my family to ask my father's business company for a ransom! We were kept prisoner and apart for three weeks. They tortured and starved us!" He stormed his way around the table as John watched him. "When the ransom was not forthcoming from either the corporation or from our family, they killed my parents." He stopped on the spot and became still and quiet. He waited for his words to sink in. "They were going to finish me off too, but somehow I was able to run away and I ran all the way to your doorstep."

John Dwight looked at the boy in front of him. He found him two days ago passed out right on his own front step. He looked like he fought his way through hell and back with all the dirt and smudge on his clothes and face. When he undressed the boy, he saw fresh bruises and scars. John had never seen anything like that before. It was obvious this boy was abused and tortured, but is he really telling the truth? All of these thoughts were running and mixing in John's head. After a long silence, at least long to Draco's ears, John Dwight offered Draco the seat next to him.

"What do you plan to do now? You should go to the police, tell them what happened. They should be able to help!" John was looking at the young man intently as if trying to convey his purpose through his gaze alone. Draco looked down at his hands again. He had to play his cards right so that this man would not force him to go to the police, otherwise he would be a goner as well. There was only one more card to play, the empathy card.

"I just want to go and see my family in London. I want to be with my aunt and uncle. They are the only family I have left now." Draco's hands were shaking and he covered his face. The pathetic stance of the young man made John even more uncomfortable, he did not want to be present for the mental breakdown this boy was about to have. "Damian, I am not going to press you right now, but you will need to make some decisions and soon because those men might leave and never be brought to justice for what they have done to you and your family!" At this point, John Dwight stood away from the table and cleared his and his daughter's plates and cups. He left to go outside to call Annie back into the house.

Draco was left alone at the table staring down at his hands. He wanted to feel successful at deceiving this man, he wanted to feel victorious for lying so artfully, he wanted... he did not know what he wanted. He had nothing more in his life. His parents were dead, and with them any possible hope for an inheritance and living on your own. His wand was taken away, not only could he not perform magic, but he could not even go back to the Magic world, the only world he has ever known. He was forced out of that familiar place and made to run for his life. He was not even sure if he would survive until tomorrow. His only option was to seek refuge in the Muggle world. Only he had no money, no clothes, no place to stay, no food... WAIT! He almost toppled out of the chair as he realized that maybe, just maybe he had one more option, one more choice before he would give up and surrender to the forces of the Dark Lord. He stood up and walked to the window in the kitchen. His aunt, Andromeda Tonks was his only blood relative left. So what if she is a blood traitor, at this point he is considered worse than that. She may be persuaded to help him once she hears of his parents' murder. He had made up his mind, now he only had to stay alive until he could find her again.

Please review. Thank so much.


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